Table 1.

Cognitive and clinical characteristics of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients and older adults

	Task	AD n = 30	Older adults n = 33
General cognitive functioning	Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)	21.90 (1.49)***	28.36 (1.29)
Episodic memory	Grober and Buschke	6.03 (2.25)***	11.03 (3.11)
Working memory	Forward span	5.43 (1.38)*	6.52 (1.82)
	Backward span	3.67 (1.15)***	5.27 (1.44)
Shifting	Plus-Minus	12.42 (7.23)***	6.16 (3.20)
Depressive symptoms	HADS	10.33 (3.40)***	6.67 (2.29)

Note: Standard deviations are given between brackets; the maximum score on the MMSE was 30 points; the maximum score on the episodic task was 16 points; performances on the forward and backward spans refer to number of correctly repeated digits; scores on the Plus–Minus task refer to reaction time; the maximum score on the HADS (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) was 21 points; differences between groups were significant at * p < .05, *** p < .001